Oerth

Oerth is the most populous planet in the Oerthian system. Because of its rich dresium deposits, Oerth is one of the most important planets in the Known Systems.

Oerth is the homeworld of the human race which is made up of cultural groups such as the Kelts, Bakshuni, Zambians, Guldorians, Tomani, and Xin. It is also the homeworld of orcs. Several other races, such as elves, dwarves, and gnomes also have settlements on Oerth.

The Veil

The humanoid populations of Oerth are cut off from interstellar space by the Veil instituted by the Arcane. In its ancient history, Oerth was home to two great interstellar civilizations, the Thumani Republic and the Zwambian Hegemony. These two empires grew rich on the dresium trade and vied with one another for power. For a time, a golden age of art, knowledge, and magic flourished under these two empires. However, eventually, they acquired enough knowledge of powerful magic to annihilate one another in the Twin Cataclysms.

Civilization on Oerth was nearly destroyed and many perished, but slowly life crawled back from the brink. As civilization slowly regained a footing, the Arcane stepped in. Determined to not allow a repeat episode on a planet of such immensely rich dresium, they instituted the Veil. No one outside of Oerth was to be allowed access to the people of Oerth, who would remain ignorant of the larger universe over their heads. Only the Arcane would have access to the people of Oerth for purposes of the dresium trade, operating out of their Citadel. The people of Oerth knew nothing of the Arcane’s intent, but happily traded dresium for valuable gold.

To enforce the veil, the Arcane created an organization called the Guardians of the Veil to enforce the embargo upon Oerth.

The Dresium Trade

The peoples of Oerth are united economically by the trade in dresium. Caravans snake from both the east and west along the Dresium Road to reach the Citadel of the Arcane. Along the way, profits are made by taxation and exchange, enriching the pockets of numerous cities and states. Desire to control the dresium trade has been the reason for numerous wars in the past, including a very devastating one, called the Great War, just thirty years ago. As a result of the Great War, the nations involved in the conflict agreed to the creation of a new order named the Order of the Road that would be made up of warriors from all the nations. These warriors called the Ranger Knights, would be responsible for protecting the Dresium Road and as a result would be allowed to tax all caravans upon arrival at the Citadel of the Arcane. Today, the Ranger Knights have grown wealthy and have begun to build a variety of fortifications along the Dresium Road. Many grumble that the Ranger Knights themselves may be getting too powerful and answer to no one.

Magic on Oerth

Because of its role in the Twin Cataclysms, magic is generally treated suspiciously on Oerth. In smaller settlements and villages, people may even react violently to the display of magic, believing that the user will bring misfortune and curses down on their heads. In larger cities, there is more tolerance for magic, but never outright acceptance. Only among the fey-touched elves and gnomes is magic accepted as a normal and acceptable part of daily life.

Despite misgivings about magic, hedgewizards and wise women are common in many places. Among the Kelts, the “Old Faith” of druidcraft is also practiced openly. A few powerful wizards can be found here or there on Oerth, living in private (sometimes secret) dwellings in major cities or in solitary towers in the countryside. These individuals are generally powerful enough that they are left alone, but are not generally viewed favorably by their neighbors. The Ben-Hekku are the only powerful arcane organization tolerated on Oerth, because they practice primarily the arts of abjuration and divination and serve as seers and advisors to rulers and other powerful figures.

Divine magic is rare. The priests of the various faiths are largely functionaries with no magical ability. Occasionally prophets emerge who claim divine powers.

Oerthian System

Oerth is the most important planet in the Oerth system, but several humanoid habitations exist throughout the system. There are six planets in the Oerthian system plus the extensive asteroid belt known as The Belt, home to the vibrant metropolis of the Rock of Bral.

Ishtar is a lifeless planet of poisonous gas closest to the sun. Oerth’s immediate neighbor, Saurus, is the largest terrestrial planet in the system and is mostly a lush jungle supporting an ecosystem of megafauna, as well as numerous Zami settlements. The Belt separates Oerth from Foresthome, an arboreal planet ruled by the Elven princess Idalyn.

The terrestrial planets are separated by a significant distance from the only gas giant in the system, Bazelpup. A brisk trade exists in ice asteroids between Bazelpup and The Belt. One of the moons of Bazelpup is the home to the Theocracy of the Pale and its rings are rumored to hide all kinds of darker societies and cults.

In the far outer reaches of the system lies the frigid dwarf planet of Yuggoth, home to the mysterious Mi-Go.